Murphy 'leaning against' another term on Lowell council

LOWELL -- Mayor Patrick Murphy caught some of his City Council colleagues by surprise Saturday morning during an interview on a local radio show when he said he's "leaning against running again."

Murphy, appearing on former Dracut Selectman Warren Shaw's show on WCAP, said he "set out to do a lot of things and I think I have accomplished them."

City Councilor Marty Lorrey opined that Murphy, whose wife is expecting to give birth to the couple's first child in March, might have based his decision partly on the need to spend more time with his family. Lorrey, who is retired, said he typically spends about 35 hours per week working on council-related matters.

Murphy, who works full time as a stone mason, also serves as chairman of the School Committee in accordance with the city's mayoral responsibilities.

He did not respond to several messages left on his cellphone Saturday requesting comment, nor to a request made through his aide, Jennifer Myers.

Murphy will turn 31 in May. Last year he became the city's youngest mayor in history at age 29, besting the previous record held by Brian Martin, who was 33 when he became mayor in 1984.

Murphy started his political career in 2007 when he unsuccessfully ran for the 5th Congressional District seat as an independent in a field that included Democrat Niki Tsongas and Republican Jim Ogonowski.

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He won a council seat in 2009, finishing eighth in the race for nine council seats. In the 2011 race he surged to fourth.

Murphy's potential departure would leave an open seat in the 2013 election that could draw a wider field of candidates.

City Councilor Rodney Elliott, whom Murphy bested in the 2012 mayoral selection by one vote, said the mayor's comments did not come as that big of a shock.

Elliott said he's "not sure what to believe" and added that Patrick's announcement "seems like it could be a plea for attention."

"He does flip-flop on the issues," Elliott said. "He's also said he'd run and not accept a salary, and that changed."

When Murphy first won a seat on the City Council in November 2009 he pledged to not take the $15,000 stipend that comes with being a city councilor. He did, however, accept the $20,000 mayoral stipend and pointed out that the demands of being a mayor took time away from his regular job as stone mason.

Elliott was also critical of Murphy's claim that he has accomplished a lot, saying that he's not sure what Murphy has accomplished, "but can say he hasn't done much to unify City Council."

Longtime City Councilor Bill Martin, who also served a stint as mayor, said he feels the decision of whether or not to run for another term in Lowell is "usually made up by the time St. Patrick's Day rolls around."

"It's that time of the year when seasoned people decided pretty much if they're in or if they're out," he added.

City Councilor Rita Mercier, also reached Saturday, declined to comment.

City Councilor Vesna Nuon, who cast the fifth and deciding vote last January that gave Murphy the edge over Elliott in the bid to become mayor, did not return a call for comment.

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